Wisley King of Dirt Round 2

Published on June 4, 2008

After an excellent first round of the King of Dirt at Chicksands, Wisley sure had a lot to live up to. With some rainy weather the previous night and during the morning, KOD round 2 could have been cancelled, but after some sunshine the locals decided to go ahead with the event.

The open category had a fairly small turnout, but the pro category made up for this with some big names including Mike Smith, Blake Sampson and Sam Reynolds. The open round started the event and saw all the riders trying to nail their biggest tricks. Local rider Tim Peckham was pulling some big flips over the Jam line, and looked to be pulling ahead, along with certain other riders; Phil Auckland offered the crowd an array of tricks, from tail-whips to 360 tables.

In the last few minutes’ things most definitely heated up, with everyone pulling out their biggest tricks and trying to combine them into smooth runs. Ryan Nangle proved he had what it takes, by doing two 360’s in the same run and then throwing in his huge no-footed cans.

It was clear to everyone that the judges were having a hard time making their decision on the top 3 in the open category. Clinton Johns landed himself in a well deserved third place after putting in some consistent, stylish runs, winning himself a pair of Spank rims. Second went to Ryan Nangle, as he showed us his big bag of tricks and the ability to lay them down consistently, winning a pair of DMR Ex-Alt cranks. First place went to Phil Auckland whose smooth, stylish tricks saw him go home with a DMR Drome frame.

After the open round ended the pro round got underway with the riders giving the crowd some jaw dropping tricks! All the pro riders were laying down their biggest tricks ranging from 360 X-up’s to double tail whips. After sessioning the jam line where we saw some wicked moves, including 540’s on the last hip jump, the riders moved onto the big line!

The last 2 jumps were spectacular with gaps over 20ft and the height the riders got was incredible. Huge tricks were pulled out, with Mike Smith doing a super slow flip over the second to last jump. Blake Sampson showed us his skills by spinning the last jump, and Prebon Nokleby showed the crowd the style and flow he has by constant 90 degree whips and his laid back tables.

Sam Reynolds was eager to keep his King of Dirt Crown, laying his biggest tricks down. He first stunned the crowd by tail whipping and, soon after doing a huge nothing on the final jump. As if that wasn’t enough, he also attempted a double tailwhip, which he was very close to landing!

The Pro category certainly showed us some spectacular riding and again the judges had their work cut out. Third place went to Mike Smith and second to Blake Samson. First place went to Sam Reynolds who really did deserve it.

KOD round 2 was a fantastic day out for the riders and spectators; big thanks go out to the sponsors DMR, Spiked Clothing, Relentless, Spank, Descent-World, Halo and all the others that made the event happen! The biggest thanks go to the locals including Digs and Gareth who built the amazing dirt jumps.

A massive thanks to Chris Seager for the report and his pictures.